User blog:Flaviusvalerius/The Republican Gazette - December 675 AUC
Contrasting Lives: a review on the careers of Atellus and Gracchus By Posca Life is much like a wheel on a carriage is it not? When one finds himself at the upper side of the wheel, someone else finds himself at the very bottom. And no metaphor could be truer for Marcus Pollius Atellus and Titus Sempronius Gracchus. When both these gentlemen are hailing us from illustrious families attached to Sulla's cause one might expect both to do equally well. However the lives of Pollius and Sempronius are contrasting interestingly which is why the RG decided to include these two good fellows on today's article! Pollius found himself topping the electoral polls in the recent quaestoral elections and his wagon seems to be set for the win. The young man was duly sworn in office and will be departing Rome shortly for his province: Asia. With pirates, Mithridates and a rich-in-revenue province our hot prospect seems to be in for the glory! The same cannot be said for Titus Sempronius Gracchus. The young man unexpectedly failed to secure the senate's confidence in his proposed assignment in Cyrenaica when the senatorial degree was speared down leaving our young man with no firm attachment. And while Gracchus is sure not to be left wanting we cannot but help wondering how will he stomach this uncalled slack brought to him by his peers in the Senate House. 'CONSULAR BRAWL!' The unity of the consular chair seemed guaranteed to every man in Rome when the late dictator announced that the highest offices in the State for the year were to be occupied by Quintus Lutatius Catulus and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, two men of known political mind and sentiment. And for the majority of the year the two consuls seemed to work together in accord and in a fine state of amity. It was therefore a shock to everyone to see Marcus Aemilius Lepidus detracting from the conservative line he had been practicing while the dictator was alive and turn rogue during the last quarter of his term of office. The junior consul surprised the senate with a series of revolutionary proposals concerning the restoration of the tribune of plebeians, the reinstatement of the Marian exiles and even the redistribution of the Public Lands seized by Lucius Cornelius Sulla! However the pull that broke the cord came when the young inauspicious Decimus Junius Brutus, a mere quaestor-elect, proposed a motion regarding the restoration of the popular and plebeian assemblies. At the hearing of that the senior consul shot up in an outrage, declaring that he had "enough of this popularist nonsense". What followed was a brief exchange of vulgar language between the two consular colleagues before Lepidus physically assaulted his senior! Authoritative sources present in the debate informed us that the consular brawl soon devolved into a general chaos with senators beating and kicking each other blindly. Many were injured during the brawl, including Quintus Lutatius Catulus who bore a slight trauma of unspecified origin in his lower abdomen, but thankfully none was seriously hurt. Same sources informed us that soon after the brawl Marcus Aemilius Lepidus cut his time short and left for his province in Gaul Beyond the Alps leaving Quintus Catulus and a number of eminent citizens fumming in rage. 'Are the Populares returning?' A case in study by scholar G. Laelius Glabrio Was the aristocrat Publius Valerius Poplicola a populist? His name surely suggest that old good Valerius went out of his way to gain the title 'Friend of the People'. Not every man whose actions favour the people is a populist nor any man who is a populist acts in favour of the people. That's my first observation. Ever since the beginning of the year we have been provided with plenty of revolutionary comments passed in conversation or overheard or even spoken in public that might signify a return of the populist party. Surely, having been forced to live for over two years as outlaws the death of Sulla must have come as a relief to many. But a return of the populist party? I can hardly believe that. It all ends up on how one perceives popularism. Is it, I wonder, the vehicle that Marcus Livius Drusus drove before he was murdered mysteriously on the eve of the Italian War? Or is it the shelter that Saturninus run to when his revolution in the forum was met with the heroic and righteous resistance of Rome's most illustrious citizens? I believe that popularism is the latter rather than the former. Popularism, as a term, signifies a wooing attempt towards the Roman masses. And while popularism, as a phaenomenon, will never cease to be expedient I believe it is too early to be discussing for a return to that period. Saturninus is not hunting us from the grave. You of little faith may want to ask: Isn't the proposals put forth by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus the dying throe of the Marian cause? Most certainly not, for one reason. Marcus Lepidus does not have need to woo the people over since his forseeable future is guaranteed by his proconsulship of Gaul. No matter why Marcus Aemilius Lepidus chose to propose his liberal measures he lacks the intent to brand him a popularist. And intend as I have found is all that matters. Election results for 676 AUC! The Republican Gazette basted in the tally counter's office and reports to you the election results: ELECTION RESULTS: MAGISTRATES FOR THE YEAR 676 The returns have been tabulated, and the magistrates for 676 are listed in the order of votes received. Winners are in bold; also-rans in regular font. '' CONSULS ' COTTA 18,525 (Sr. Consul) SILANUS 15,553 ' Lucullus 10, 563 Ahenobarbus 9,700 Longinus 7,023 ----- PRAETORS ' RUFUS 28,090 CRASSUS 23,452 FALCO 21,341 AVIENUS 19,625 CRISPIN 18,897 INDUS 17,586''' Strabo 15,553 Flaccus 14,383 ----- AEDILES ' VALERIUS 24,726 LEOPONTUS 24, 288 VOLUMNIUS 22,931 CALVINUS 20,242' Maximus 19,955 Lentulus 16,666 Gaurus 8,992 ----- TRIBUNES ' TARSICUS 28,687 (President of the College of Tribunes) CURIO 28,654 PLACIDUS 28,357 URSUS 28,357 TUDIANUS 24,873 REGINUS 24,836 BANQUERIUS 23,695 SCHLERUS 23,568 DIOCLETIANUS 20,361 HERMA 20,201' Bodenus 19,072 Avitus 18,565 Bulbo 15,149 Sabinus 11,653 Frigidian 9,614 ----- QUAESTORS ' ATELLUS 34,450 NERVA 31,683 MARO 28,654 GRACCHUS 28,519 SEVERUS 24,171 OPILLIO 21,840 BRUTUS 21,347 TRUPO 20,216 CONGRIO 19,944 CAESAR 19,141' Pulcher 17,058 Scapula 16,571 Hipsaeus 16,084 Portius 13,076 Octavius 10,391 'Treason charges!' All the city is in shock to be told by former Praetor Urbanus Caius Licinius Sacerdos that he has been asked to initiate procedures of a court trial for none other than the Princeps Senatus Lucius Valerius Flaccus! The Praetor Urbanus, when asked by our reporters, was limited to say "it's a disgrace". As rumour has it the prosecutor is none other than the infamous Decimus Junius Brutus whom you may know from his scandalous presence in the party of pedarius senator Gaius Flavius not two market internals ago. Authoritative sources from inside the office of Licinius Sacerdos report that Valerius Flaccus has already approached a defence councelor in the person of Numerius Lucretius Severus of Unculus vs Hebron fame. Category:Blog posts